"Re-Imaging the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Claire Keegan's Novella *Foster* - Victor Judge - 1

During December, we were introduced to the canon of the contemporary Irish writer Claire Keegan whose novella titled Small Things Like These served as the foundation for our Advent studies.
For the month of June, we resume our exploration of Keegan’s writings by reading the novella Foster in which the author embeds a re-imaging of the Lucan narrative of the prodigal son.
Set in rural Ireland in 1981, the novella unfolds from the perspective of a young, unnamed girl whose parents “foster” her to an aunt and uncle for the summer before she returns to school; however, during the days of her fosterage, she learns different lessons in familial love.
The lecture series will be delivered on June 4, 11, 18, and 25, by Victor Judge, the assistant dean for academic affairs and lecturer in literature and religion at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.